Henry Ernest Howard

Henry back row 2nd from left Courtesy N. Browning
Personal Information
Date of Birth	Not known
Place of Birth	Blakeville, Victoria
Death	30 Mar 1918
Place of Death	Sailly-le-Sec, France
Age at Enlistment	23 years, 8 months
Description	5' 10¾" (1.80m) tall; weight 156 lbs (70.8 kg); fair complexion, brown eye, brown hair
Occupation	sleeper hewer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Railway avenue, Kelmscott, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father Mr David Charles Howard
Military Information
Reg Number	443
Rank	Corporal
Unit/Formation	44th Battalion, B Company / 11th Brigade, 3rd Division
Date of Embarkation	6 Jun 1916 - 21 Jul 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A29 Suevic
Fate	Killed in Action 30 Mar 1918 at Sailly-le-Sec during 1st Battle for Mourlancourt
Monument	Kelmscott War Memorial (North panel) Kelmscott Congregational Church Honour Board
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Entered camp on 17 Jan 1916 and was posted to B Company of the newly formed 44th Battalion on 28 Jan 1916 at the Claremont camp.

On the voyage to England, at Cape Town on 25 Jun 1916, Henry failed to re-embark in time for the voyage to England. The result was that he faced military justice on his arrival at Larkhill, losing 28 days pay (£8/8/-), Field Punishment and a £5 fine. Before serving his full term of field punishment, he was hospitalised in 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford on 10 Aug 1916 for 52 days with syphilis, being discharged on 30 Sep 1916.

Rejoining his unit on 2 Oct 1916, he was AWOL from a parade on 21 Nov 1916 before the battalion proceeded to France from Southampton on 25 Nov 1916. From 3 - 9 Feb 1917 he was absent from the battalion while receiving treatment for scabies, but then settled down and was promoted first to Lance Corporal on 7 Oct 1917 and then Corporal on 1 Mar 1918 before his death in the battle for Morlancourt.

Henry was a member of B Company which was at that time attached to the 42nd Battalion, serving as piquet's, dug in on a hillside above Sailly Laurette in front of the main Australian defensive position manned by the 42nd and 43rd Battalions. This battle was one of those associated with Australian units who had been transferred from the Ypres area to the Somme to halt the enemy's push towards Amiens. The out posted men did stop a major enemy attack. Most of the casualties suffered on 30 Mar 1918 by the 44th Battalion were members of B Company. The battalion's losses for the day being 8 KIA, 22 WIA and 1 MIA. However, they had halted the enemy's rapid advance, and given time for other units to move into place.

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  Beacon Cemetery Sailly-Laurette
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  Commonwealth War Graves Commission

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Virtual War Memorial